Magnetic resonance image wavelet enhancer

Echo-planar imaging is able to generate images in less than 80 ms; however, images have poor quality since they have an intrinsic poor signal-to-noise ratio. Filtering techniques such as the Fourier transform can be applied to enhance the image quality. Another natural tool is the so-called wavelet transform, this is an analytical tool capable of generating an analysis in time and frequency simultaneously. The two-dimensional wavelet transform is applied to blood flow maps produced with a flow encoding echo-planar imaging sequence to improve the image signal-to-noise ratio. Enhanced flow maps and contour maps are presented. The wavelet transform shows that flow magnetic resonance images can be improved without detriment of the spatial resolution and unmasking the relevant anatomical and physiological information.